Empedrada Ranch & Lodge - Hotel Asociado Casa Andina

“Empedrada (no longer a ranch, but a working farm) and lovely Lodge to stay over after a visit at Caral”

This is a charming oasis of calm sitting in a lush farm sitting in the middle of a rocky desert. Once you get there it is very restful, and this you will you will need because if you are driving there from Lima getting out of the city in the grid-locked traffic will take a very long time and do n… more

This is a charming oasis of calm sitting in a lush farm sitting in the middle of a rocky desert. Once you get there it is very restful, and this you will you will need because if you are driving there from Lima getting out of the city in the grid-locked traffic will take a very long time and do not be fooled by the names of the highways, there is no true designated road to get around the towns and villages, you will be in traffic most of the way until you turn off into the deserted road that is basically carved out of the sand and stones to form a road. At one point the "highway" crosses the river that floods in rainy season (we crossed it in dry season, driving over a rocky bed). Don't be surprised by the lack of a bridge. That is the road. The hotel has a pool that we did not take advantage of (a bit too cold still), massage services (prices were reasonable, and there were about 6-8 different types of massage offered), a games' room with a billiard/pool table, a ping-pong table and a foosball table, a beautiful outdoor lounge and a very nice offering of books that you could read on the patio or take to your room. Be vigilant at reception and check that your room was cleaned. The receptionist seemed lost at any additional request (it took a very long time and much searching to obtain an English copy of the document I was asked to sign). This so put off the receptionist that she forgot to make a copy of my passeport. After diner (which was excellent) she asked me for my passeport. Since we were enjoying a lovely moment I asked if I could bring this the next morning not wanting to interrupt the evening to go to my room, she said yes, then no, then yes... Finally, on going to give her my passport to copy we found my husband's passport in the copy machine... The second complaint was about the room. It had not been cleaned. Since this is an eco-site it is requested that we not flush toilet paper in the toilets not emptying the garbage cans in the bathroom is a hygiene concerne to me that equals not changing the bed sheets. Finally, I have nothing but good things to say about the restaurent. Our waiter was top-notch. The food was excellent (my favorite dish was the mushroom tartare that was a construction of avocado on a tomatoe salsa on a olive and mushroom layer with dry toast that was both tasty and fresh, and I was tempted to order for breakfast the next morning, but that could only be done if I ordered room service and since I wanted to sit in the open restaurent with a beautiful view of the orange grove that was so lovely). Even the choice of music was perfect for the setting and just loud enough not to interfere with conversation. I would recommend it as a worthwhile place to stay if you are visiting Caral, but beware, road signs are sketchy when there are some and our connexion was lost in the area, so you may have to navigate using GPS (we had Entel as a service and they could not provide coverage).

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“Beautiful spot, but beware of the showers as my friend suffered a bad fall. ”

Beautiful spot in the Supe Valley, about 3-4 hours north of Lima. Our goal was to visit the The Sacred City of the Caral Civilization (5,000 years old). The lodge is 30 minutes from the archeological site. My two girlfriends and I were given room #10. After visiting the site, we arrived to check-… more

Beautiful spot in the Supe Valley, about 3-4 hours north of Lima. Our goal was to visit the The Sacred City of the Caral Civilization (5,000 years old). The lodge is 30 minutes from the archeological site. My two girlfriends and I were given room #10. After visiting the site, we arrived to check-in at 4 pm on a Saturday. Unfortunately, one of my girlfriends fell in the shower badly and bruised her left upper arm and was very sore on her left side (back, hip and leg). The shower in that room doesn't have any safety bars to hold on to and the floor is made with slippery tiles. The risk for an older guest is high with this faulty shower design (we are in our late 50s ourselves). The hotel manager offered my injured friend a plate of soup which was brought to the room. We understood it was a courtesy, but the next morning at check out, they insisted in charging us for it. I found the attitude appalling and there was no empathy whatsoever towards my friend. If anyone gets injured, the nearest city is about 1.5 hours via a gravel road (and one must cross the riverbed to exit to such road (they provide info if the water is too high to cross). My suggestion is for the Casa Andina Group (owners of the hotel) to implement the necessary structural changes to avoid this type of hazard in the future. Otherwise, the premises, the area, food and other accommodations were beautiful, clean and charming.

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